The trial of Shinzo Abe’s assassin has shed light on the influence of a prominent Asian mega-church. Tetsuya Yamagami, the 45-year-old man who killed the former Japanese Prime Minister in 2022, was sentenced to life in prison. Yamagami was arrested at the scene of the crime in Nara, where Abe was campaigning for his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). During the trial at the Nara District Court, Yamagami admitted to the killing and testified that he held a grudge against the Unification Church, a South Korean-based religious group.
The Unification Church, founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, has been labeled a cult by critics and has faced accusations of being a money-making organization. Yamagami claimed that his mother had donated the family’s savings to the church, leading to his resentment. He targeted Abe because the former prime minister had supported an event organized by a group linked to the church.
The trial highlighted the ties between the LDP and the Unification Church, with over a hundred lawmakers found to have connections to the organization. The conservative Japanese party and the church have historically shared common ground in opposing communism and left-wing ideologies. Following Abe’s assassination, then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was forced to publicly distance the LDP from the church. In March, the Tokyo District Court ordered the dissolution of the organization’s Japanese branch.
Abe, who was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was a divisive figure domestically but was credited by many foreign leaders for his skilled diplomacy and ability to forge good personal connections. Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Abe’s widow, Akie, at the Kremlin last May, demonstrating the respect Abe commanded internationally.
The sentencing of Yamagami brings closure to a significant chapter in Japanese history, but the case has also raised questions about the influence of the Unification Church on Japanese politics. The LDP’s connections to the church have sparked controversy, and the party’s response to the scandal will be closely watched. As Japan moves forward, the legacy of Shinzo Abe and the impact of the Unification Church on the country’s politics will continue to be felt.
